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Evangelisti S, Gramegna LL, La Morgia C, Di Vito L, Maresca A, Talozzi L, Bianchini C, Mitolo M, Manners DN, Caporali L, Valentino ML, Liguori R, Carelli V, Lodi R, Testa C, Tonon C. Molecular biomarkers correlate with brain grey and white matter changes in patients with mitochondrial m.3243A > G mutation. Mol Genet Metab 2022; 135:72-81. [PMID: 34916127 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2021.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) m.3243A > G mutation in the MT-TL1 gene results in a multi-systemic disease, that is commonly associated with neurodegenerative changes in the brain. METHODS Seventeen patients harboring the m3243A > G mutation were enrolled (age 43.1 ± 11.4 years, 10 M/7F). A panel of plasma biomarkers including lactate acid, alanine, L-arginine, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) and circulating cell free -mtDNA (ccf-mtDNA), as well as blood, urine and muscle mtDNA heteroplasmy were evaluated. Patients also underwent a brain standardized MR protocol that included volumetric T1-weighted images and diffusion-weighted MRI. Twenty sex- and age-matched healthy controls were included. Voxel-wise analysis was performed on T1-weighted and diffusion imaging, respectively with VBM (voxel-based morphometry) and TBSS (Tract-based Spatial Statistics). Ventricular lactate was also evaluated by 1H-MR spectroscopy. RESULTS A widespread cortical gray matter (GM) loss was observed, more severe (p < 0.001) in the bilateral calcarine, insular, frontal and parietal cortex, along with infratentorial cerebellar cortex. High urine mtDNA mutation load, high levels of plasma lactate and alanine, low levels of plasma arginine, high levels of serum FGF-21 and ventricular lactate accumulation significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the reduced brain GM density. Widespread microstructural alterations were highlighted in the white matter, significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with plasma alanine and arginine levels, with mtDNA mutation load in urine, with high level of serum GDF-15 and with high content of plasma ccf-mtDNA. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the synergy of two pathogenic mechanisms, mtDNA-related mitochondrial respiratory deficiency and defective nitric oxide metabolism, contributes to the brain neurodegeneration in m.3243A > G patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Evangelisti
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Laura Ludovica Gramegna
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, Bologna, Italy
| | - Chiara La Morgia
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Programma di Neurogenetica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lidia Di Vito
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandra Maresca
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Programma di Neurogenetica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lia Talozzi
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Bianchini
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Micaela Mitolo
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, Bologna, Italy
| | - David Neil Manners
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Leonardo Caporali
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Lucia Valentino
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rocco Liguori
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Clinica Neurologica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valerio Carelli
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Programma di Neurogenetica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Raffaele Lodi
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudia Testa
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, Bologna, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Caterina Tonon
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, Bologna, Italy.
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Shen X, Lv Q, Li Y, Du A. Response to "low heteroplasmy rates in clinically affected m.3243A > G carriers not necessarily explain the phenotype". J Neurol Sci 2020; 409:116631. [PMID: 31865185 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2019.116631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiya Shen
- Department of Neurology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China
| | - Qing Lv
- Department of Neurology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Department of Neurology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China
| | - Ailian Du
- Department of Neurology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China; Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
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